Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff has brought in a former teammate — not to mention coach on the rise — onto his coaching staff, with the 2021 expansion team on Monday announcing the hiring of Davy Arnaud as an assistant coach, effective August 1.
Arnaud joins Austin from the Houston Dynamo, where he had been an assistant since 2017 and had a stint as the club's interim head coach at the end of the 2019 season. Prior to his time on the Dynamo bench, Arnaud was an assistant at D.C. United for one year in 2016, following his retirement.
“Davy Arnaud represents a significant addition to our growing club, and our organization is extremely fortunate to have a native Texan and highly-experienced MLS player and coach join our staff to help us build a successful club in MLS,” Wolff said in a team statement. “Davy and I know each other well from our time playing together in Kansas City, and I know he shares the same soccer philosophy we value highly at Austin FC.”
Arnaud, 40, started his MLS career in 2002 when he was drafted by the Kansas City Wizards. Wolff would sign with the team a year later, and the two would be teammates there for seven seasons, briefly interrupted by Wolff's brief stint playing in Germany.
In total, Arnaud spent 10 seasons with the Wizards before being traded to the expansion Montreal Impact in 2012, where he was named the club's first MLS captain. After two seasons in Montreal, he finished out his career with another two years at D.C. United. Arnaud made 351 regular-season appearances plus another 17 playoff appearances across his career, scored regular-season 50 goals with 46 assists (plus another four goals and an assist in the playoffs), and ranks 13th all-time among field players in MLS minutes played. He also earned seven caps for the US national team between 2007 and 2009, and scored a goal in the 2009 Gold Cup.
“I couldn't be more excited to be joining the club. I had the pleasure of playing alongside and learning from Josh in Kansas City. His leadership and knowledge of the game is something I admire and I look forward to rejoining him here in Austin,” Arnaud said. “I want to thank Josh and [sporting director Claudio Reyna] for affording me the opportunity to help build Austin FC.”
